Spring Migrants near Vermilion

Most of the spring migrants have returned to this part of the province, with many species — including the Tree Swallows, Mallards, Green-winged Teals, and Barn Swallows — already sitting on eggs. I’ve been able to go birding quite frequently this month, so I though I’d share some of my favorite photos from May.

A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker excavating a nest in a poplar tree,

A male Ruffed Grouse taking a break from displaying,

Song Sparrow,

This male Baltimore Oriole was quite difficult to photograph as it kept hiding behind leaves and branches,

The first warblers to arrive in the Vermilion area are Yellow-rumped Warblers (this a Myrtle variant),

I came across this Mallard nest on one of my walks,

This handsome Le Conte’s Sparrow is the most recent addition to my Life List,

Amazing pictures of the LeConte’s. I saw one at Pt Pelee in May 2007 and boy, this was a very tough bird to lay eyes on. Several dozend people were watching an area the size of maybe 5 square metres for nearly half an hour to no avail, until it finally popped up from that exact area, stayed visible for a couple of seconds, and dove down into the vegetation never to be seen again. Such a beauty!